For the third year in a row , our Western partners have been watching Ukraine being blown apart by missiles and Ukrainian children dying, but they are not even allowed to shoot down Russian missiles that fly into the territory of the Alliance, heading for Ukraine.
When the Polish foreign minister said that Poland and other neighbouring states must ensure the safety of their citizens and must shoot down Russian missiles that approach their airspace , even if NATO opposes it – warnings have been issued from Brussels.
NATO has warned Poland of “consequences” if the Poles shoot down missiles flying towards Ukraine. After all, shooting down “will have consequences for the entire Alliance”, which “is not a party to the conflict and will not become a party to the conflict” in Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has repeatedly emphasised that this is not “their war”. Poland was told that every member of the Alliance can defend its airspace, but that such actions “could also affect NATO as a whole”. Translated from the language of diplomatic innuendo to human language, this means a demand not to shoot down Russian missiles and drones.
This is in stark contrast to the West ‘s attitude to the Iranian bombing of Israel when the United States was in charge, Britain, France and Jordan stopped an Iranian drone strike on Israel. There , the Western partners were not afraid of escalation or World War III, or the potential nuclear weapons that Iran has been working on for decades. With regard to Ukraine, different approaches are being taken.
Our European partners can be understood: War is always bad for the economy, demographics, and election ratings. Politicians, who pulled their societies out of a warm bath and threw them into will lose popularity and give way to a rival party. Despite Russia’s nuclear threats to the West, despite its promises to capture European capitals, Europeans still want to believe that this is not their war. “Maybe we’ll get away with it” is the real geopolitical strategy of NATO leaders.
De facto, Europeans are watching the trajectory of someone else’s death on their radar and do not dare to take bolder steps. For China, the situation looks like cowardice and humiliation for the West, which is timidly watching a country that the West calls its ally being destroyed on its border but is afraid to stop the villain directly.
However, shooting down Russian missiles at least over the border of NATO countries would significantly relieve the Ukrainian air defence system, which could be used in other areas. Western troops would gain real combat experience in intercepting air targets, and the West’s global standing would rise significantly. It would also send a powerful signal to China not to touch Taiwan. Given that even Belarus has begun to shoot down Russian drones, it would be a convenient newsworthy occasion for NATO countries to start doing the same. However, Poland is not advised to shoot down missiles even over its territory, which is a gross violation of the constitutional rights to the security of its citizens.
Western politicians continue to turn a blind eye and wash their hands of the situation, hoping that Ukraine will resolve the pan-European geopolitical threat on its own with metered deliveries of Western weapons.
Author: Valeriy Maydanyuk
